I am a poor older man with a lifelong love of sailing and
boating. I simply cannot afford to live the modern American lifestyle on my
income; therefore, I have decided to fix up an old sailboat and live and travel on it. I will use a bicycle for shore transportation, a skiff and oars for shuttle
service from anchorage to shore, and sail whenever possible to places of interest. I have done this before so it will not be new to me. If done properly, such a lifestyle is
cheap, interesting, good exercise, and enjoyable. I met a lot of nice people doing this.
I seek a strong
boat about 35 feet in length that I can sail alone. A vessel with
offshore capabilities is necessary for my goals. I may go beyond the
Caribbean area and the
boat should be
seaworthy in all sea conditions. Performance is secondary to
safety. What I am looking for is an intact and sound hull/deck,
diesel engine with all the
parts, and as much in the way of good
sails and
rigging as possible - all for the lowest possible
price. I am a
mechanic so I can
rebuild engines, run new stays if necessary,
rebuild woodwork, and
repair fiberglass. If fixtures on the boat (masts, boom, roller reefing, fittings, etc.) can be repaired with labor, welding, or inexpensive
replacements, that would be a big plus. Although not highly skilled my woodworking is passable. In short, I can
repair a boat as long as the
repairs do not cost a lot.
I bought my last boat for $1.00. I repaired it and lived aboard it. I sailed it to
Cuba from Mobile,
Alabama and it performed very well. Sadly, it was sunk by an uncharted rock and my failure to stay far enough off the poorly-charted coast of
Cuba. I am looking for another home/boat/project.
Hopefully, there is someone out there with a well-loved boat who would like to enable an old guy to live his dream; I have another dollar if there is!
-Capt. G